boo backed osage bow build.

[superdav95]

I hesitated in posting this build but i had received a few enquiries recently on some of my previous boo backed and also my bellied builds so i figured i could just bring you guys along with me at least a chunk of the way anyways. I didn't want to post too much on this topic on Arvins thread and take over his thread and i figured more to look at is better then less.  I had been saving a roughed out 66" osage bow with fairly ideal rings pretty straight and consistent.  I had not intended this bow as a candidate for a boo back but like arvin and many others have wondered I have thought a good combo would be an ideal osage stave as a self bow backed with boo!  I know I know some of you are wondering why i would do this to a perfectly good stave.  Well I suspect for the same reason Arvin and others have theorized that maybe just maybe a good tempered and appropriate boo strip may just be magic on the back of an ideal osage stave.  Ive done many on sub standard ring staves and they were good if not actually great bows.  a boo backing if done correctly can be transformative for a piece of wood.  I seen this with various white woods as well.


first the bow candidate.  its a 66" ttt, 1.5' wide and narrows very slightly to 16" out from center on each limb.  it is symmetrical.   the tips are around 1/2-5/8" to later be narrowed more.  the rings are quite good as far as osage goes.

second the boo strip.   It will be thinned and narrowed more yet but as for now the slate is little over 66" and just under 2" wide   the thickness is around .300".  I will thin and taper this more as I go.  the heat treatment process will be detailed more later.  take note that the nodes on the strip are also ideal.  as far as spacing and thickness (no wierd humps or dips at the nodes) and nice consistent thickness on the strip.  I will show some details on taper and heat treatment as we go here.  here are some pics so far.

[Bob Barnes]

Thanks Dave.  Looking forward to this.  I hunt with my BBO and think that it is a near perfect combination for a wooden bow.  It has shot thousands of arrows and been left hanging at the shooting range at MoJam for many years now so that anyone wanting to can shoot it.  In our flight shoot Badger verified a 211 yard shot with a 10 gpp arrow drawn 28".  Thanks again.

[Selfbowman]

Thanks Dave for sharing.

[bjrogg]

I don’t know if I am missing something? Everyone keeps talking about boo backed Osage. I thought that Arvin was going with Osage backed boo. Or a Osage bow with a boo belly.

Am I missing something?

Bjrogg

[superdav95]

I don’t know if I am missing something? Everyone keeps talking about boo backed Osage. I thought that Arvin was going with Osage backed boo. Or a Osage bow with a boo belly.

Am I missing something?

Bjrogg

Yes!  I read it wrong on his original post.  I had spoke to him on the phone even this is embarrassing.  Yes he is doing a belly lam on an Osage bow.  I had to go back and read it again.  lol.  Ok so mine is not similar really at all.  I’m wondering now if I should bother with this thread. 

[superdav95]

I’ve been locked out of pa.  I cannot seem to post without refreshing about 10 times.  Not sure what’s going on but is anyone have similar issues? 

[Pat B]

I've been having trouble getting on to PA but haven't tried to post pics lately.

[bjrogg]

Yes it’s been hard getting anything posted on site lately

Bjrogg

[Selfbowman]

Ya me too. I talked to Kevin he’s trying to address it he said.